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Eli Lilly rolled out an $850 million investment plan for the U.S. two years ago, with a chunk of that earmarked for its hometown. But one of those Indianapolis building projects is getting some pushback now, thanks to a local tax break...Despite objections from some local lawmakers, the Indianapolis City-County Council approved a $7 million abatement for Eli Lilly's $91 million expansion project...It was at least the second local tax break Lilly has won in the last few years...Council has approved the statement of benefits from @EliLillyCo, which has applied for tax abatement for real and personal property located in an economic revitalization area...Several Democrats and Republicans voted against the deal...Zach Adamson, a Democrat on the council, said it’s the “second or third” abatement “where the city is not seeing any direct benefit,”...READ MORE

Most prescription drugs contain at least one inactive ingrediant (sic) capable of causing adverse reactions, according to a new study...Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at Harvard and Massachusetts Institute of Technology found these medications to contain lactose, peanut oil, gluten or chemical dyes...The team analyzed 42,052 different oral medications and found that nearly 93 percent of them contained at least one inactive ingredient that could cause adverse reactions in certain conditions, such as peanut oil, lactose or dyes. And other medications included ingredients that people were sensitive to, including gluten and some kinds of sugar compounds...READ MORE

Norman Sharpless, director of the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, will become acting administrator of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration...after current FDA chief Scott Gottlieb steps down in early April...The highly regarded Gottlieb reportedly recommended Sharpless as his replacement. He tweeted today: “I’m delighted by the announcement from @SecAzar that @NCIDirector will serve as acting commissioner of #FDA. Ned is a friend to FDA, a great public health champion, a dedicated physician, and will be warmly welcomed into his new role. FDA will benefit greatly from his leadership.”...READ MORE

The U.S. Bureau of Prisons said...it was investigating former drug company executive Martin Shkreli's conduct in prison after the Wall Street Journal reported he was still helping run his old company using a contraband cellphone..."When there are allegations of misconduct, they are thoroughly investigated and appropriate action is taken if such allegations are proven true," the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement. "This allegation is currently under investigation."...READ MORE

Comedian and former late night host Jay Leno isn’t laughing about his cholesterol numbers. But he is using humor to get the message across in an awareness campaign with Amgen that focuses on the dangers of high cholesterol...The new campaign, “Cholesterol 911,” looks to sound the alarm with digital and social media creative combining Leno’s love of cars, his personal cholesterol concerns and a dash of humor. The 911 theme is an effort “to bring urgency to this message and help people avoid an emergency situation,”...READ MORE

Jaime Rosenberg, welcome to This Week in Managed Care from the Managed Markets News Network

Scott Gottlieb has submitted his resignation as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, after nearly two years at the helm of the agency. Gottlieb plans to leave next month...The unexpected exit has created a number of uncertainties for the pharmaceutical industry. More clarity should come in the lead up to the leadership change. In the meantime, here are five key takeaways from Gottlieb's departure and time at the FDA...READ MORE

1. Who will be Gottlieb's successor?
2. Why is he leaving the FDA?
3. What work does Gottlieb leave unfinished?
4. How will the industry react to Gottlieb's departure?
5. What will Gottlieb's legacy be?

Tasmania could become the first state in Australia to introduce pill testing, with the push gaining support from a maverick Liberal MP and the Dark Mofo festival, which may go it alone to offer a testing service...Festival organisers are meeting with Pill Testing Australia, which conducted the country's first pill testing trial in the ACT last year...Six people have died from suspected drug overdoses at music festivals across Australia this year, prompting renewed calls for testing to be rolled out nationwide...Australia's first pill testing trial was held at Canberra's Groovin the Moo festival last year after being approved by the ACT Government. A second trial will be held at the event this year...READ MORE

Nicole Grassano, PTNN, Pharmacy Week in Review, this weekly video program provides our readers with an in-depth review of the latest news, product approvals, FDA rulings and more.

Scott Gottlieb took over as head of the Food and Drug Administration with a somewhat unconventional agenda...He quickly won over skeptics...And while the agency's core missions of drug and food safety remain unchanged, Gottlieb was able to elevate different, specific issues into the limelight...e-cigarettes, opioids and drug prices gave the agency new focus at the highest level...Gottlieb's willingness to call out drugmakers for what he memorably dubbed "shenanigans" and "Kabuki drug pricing" pushed the industry in a more public manner than past agency chiefs...Under his leadership, the FDA flagged anti-competitive concerns including drugmaker abuse of the REMS system and citizen petitions, as well as publishing a list of off-patent drugs with no generic competition...READ MORE